The assistant gambling manager for the Shakopee Youth Hockey Association is accused of looting more than $10,000 from the nonprofit's charitable gambling arm last year.
Katherine Ann Theis, 23, of Shakopee, was charged via summons in Scott County District Court with theft by swindle, a felony, for allegedly embezzling $10,558 in association funds from pulltab games.
Theis was responsible for recording and depositing earnings from the gambling business — including pulltabs, bingo and meat raffles — at Buffalo Tap in Savage and Louisville Lanes, Turtle's Bar & Grill and the American Legion in Shakopee.
After discovering that cash from numerous games had not been deposited into the bank from June through August, Scott Reed, the organization's gambling manager, contacted authorities.
According to the complaint:
Reed met with Shakopee police on Aug. 31 and accused Theis of the theft. Reed explained that he and Theis were the only hockey association employees who went to Turtle's or the American Legion to put new pulltab games in service and close out games.
Once a game was activated, the sales and winnings were recorded on paper in a pulltab box. When a game was closed, either Reed or Theis would immediately count and collect the money earned. Theis was solely responsible for making the deposits.
Reed would later compare cards from pulltab drawers to the deposits made at Stonebridge Bank in Shakopee, as well as an external audit. The numbers didn't add up.